There is sufficient evidence to investigate alleged Israeli and Palestinian war crimes committed in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, the international criminal court has announced. The announcement ended years of preliminary investigations into alleged crimes by both Israeli forces and Palestinians, and signalled that the court was preparing to open a formal investigation. “In brief, I am satisfied that war crimes have been or are being committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip”. The investigation also identified evidence to support claims of war crimes against Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas. While Israel, like the US, is not a party to the convention, the court accepted Palestinian membership in 2015.

Source: The Guardian December 20, 2019 16:07 UTC